One of the most scenic drives in the state

5/4/2025 Highway 20 to Washington Pass

Although there was very little hiking involved, this scenic drive with a short amount of walking is just too good to keep a secret. One of our favorite drives is to head east on Highway 20 through the North Cascades. In the spring, once the highway is fully opened, you can see dozens of snow-covered peaks, several lakes, waterfalls, rivers, and streams. There are so many great places along the way, we just stop at whatever catches our interest. Everything we did this day was just a short walk from the car.

We packed a picnic lunch and sat out in camping chairs along the cliff's edge above Diablo Lake, one of our favorite lakes in the state, and a mandatory stop anytime you pass along Highway 20. This glacier fed lake can be a brilliant green certain times of the year.

We drove further east to Rainy Pass where we walked around briefly in about three feet of snow (see the cover photo above). This is the trailhead for Maple Pass, a fall favorite during larch season, which is typically early October.

We made the wise choice to continue east to Washington Pass. This is where the highway makes a sharp turn and drops down steeply to the Methow Valley. The road to the viewpoint parking lot was plowed, but cars were not allowed to drive it, so we took the short walk to one of the most amazing viewpoints you'll find in the state. The views were breathtaking, and the clouds and blue sky behind the mountain peaks looked unreal, as if Photoshopped.

Days like this make me feel so fortunate to live in Washington State.